


Something Entirely New

by StargazingAtWords (TheLonelyJournalKeeper)



Series: NaLi Fluff Fest 2016 [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Steven Universe, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, NaLi - Freeform, NaLi Fluff Fest, Romance, Ruby!Natsu, Sapphire!Lisanna, The Answer au, gem au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-04 21:57:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6676867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLonelyJournalKeeper/pseuds/StargazingAtWords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natsu is assigned to guard a high ranking aristocratic gem who has a mission on Earth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Entirely New

**Author's Note:**

> This universe is a lot of fun so I might write more of it.

Ruby. Facet-3N7S. Cut-7X7. 

Or as he liked to think of himself: Natsu. It meant summer on some conquered world Natsu had long since forgotten the name of, but his name had stuck. Not that anyone called him by that name, of course. He was just a Ruby. Why would he need a name? But he liked to have something to differentiate himself from the other Rubies just so things wouldn’t get too confusing. 

As it happened, Natsu and two other Rubies had just been assigned a very important mission and he was eager to get into the action. 

Homeworld was currently in the process of colonizing a promising planet by the name of Earth, but a persistent group of rebels were halting progress. Natsu thought this was all very exciting and dramatic, but not very troublesome as surely, the Diamond Authority would be able to handle the situation.

And the way they had chosen to handle it was with the aid of a rare aristocratic gem, a Sapphire, who was rumored to have unique powers. Natsu was lucky enough to get to be a part of her guard while she was on Earth. 

He and the two other Rubies assigned to the Sapphire were waiting (read: playing around) for her outside the warp that would take them to another warp station from which they could fly the remaining stretch to the Cloud Arena on Earth. 

When the figure of the aristocratic gem appeared, they scrambled to stand at attention as they had been programmed to do. 

And that was when Natsu got his first look at a gem like her in person. 

She was small, even shorter than Natsu, with thin, delicate arms and she was dressed in a dark blue gown that hid her legs completely. This gave her the impression of gliding rather than walking. Her skin was a pale blue, like the sky of a planet Natsu had visited once and her hair was pure white. To further emphasis her place in Blue Diamond’s court, her short hair was styled so that it completely obscured her eyes. What could be seen of her face was a small, finely chiseled nose, and full lips. 

She was completely unlike any gem Natsu had seen before. She was plainly not built for combat like a Ruby or a Quartz. She wasn’t even built for maintenance or for piloting or any of the other tasks Natsu had seem performed by other gems. She was something different. 

The Sapphire nodded to them as she came to stand on the warp. The Rubies jumped up onto the warp beside her and then they were off. 

The flight wasn’t long, just a quick hop from the nearest base, but Natsu and the other Rubies were bursting with energy by the time they arrived. 

They left the ship first to ensure it would be safe for the Sapphire. 

Natsu looked around with great interest. The Sapphire might have done the same when she got out, but Natsu couldn’t be sure with her hair covering her eyes. He did get the impression she was nervous though; she was wringing her hands in an anxious way. 

Natsu couldn’t see why though and he didn’t know what to do about it. The Sky Arena was spectacular, populated with a variety of gems, many of which Natsu had never seen before. 

In pride of place was Blue Diamond’s palanquin, shrouded by curtains. Only the best for a Diamond, of course. 

To Natsu’s excitement, this was where they were headed. He wasn’t privy to all the detail’s of their mission. Only the ones that concerned him (guard the Sapphire with his life, defeat the Rebels etc.) but he got the impression the Sapphire had some important information for Blue Diamond seeing as she clearly wasn’t here to fight. 

He’d heard she could see the future, but he didn’t know if that was true. He hoped it was. That would be a cool power and it made him feel important to be guarding someone who possessed it. 

It also sounded like the kind of thing that would be useful in defeating Rebels. 

Right on cue, one of Natsu’s fellow Rubies said, “I can’t wait until the Rebels get here!” 

The other Ruby grinned and threw a punch into his hand. “Yeah! When they get here, I’m gonna kick their butts.” 

“No way,” said the first Ruby. “ _I’m_ gonna kick ‘em all over their bodies. I’ll pound ‘em into the ground!” 

“Oh yeah? What if I pound you?” He punched the other Ruby on the shoulder. 

“Hey!” He protested. 

Natsu rolled his eyes. “We’re gonna take ‘em out together when we fuse. Duh. That’s why they sent _three_ of us!” 

“I’ll take you out!” One of the Rubies said. 

Natsu, seeing what was coming, dodged the incoming blow. Unfortunately, this sent him reeling and he stumbled backwards…right into the aristocratic gem they were supposed to be guarding. 

All of the onlooking members of Blue Diamonds court gasped and Natsu panicked. “S-sorry! It was an accident!” 

There was a split second of tense silence. Then the Sapphire spoke the first words Natsu had heard from her. 

“Oh. Oh my. It’s okay. It was bound to happen.” Her full lips curved into a wan smile. 

Natsu blinked. It was….okay? He was sure bumping into a high-ranking gem was a punishable offense. 

“O-oh. Right.” 

The Sapphire took a deep breath. “I have to report to Blue Diamond now. Please, wait here.” 

“Right,” he said again. 

“Okay.” 

“Sure.” 

She glided forward and entered the palanquin. Natsu and the other Rubies stood at attention. He wasn’t eager to call anymore attention to himself. Acting out was all well and good until you were among elite gems who could shatter you (rightfully, of course) for an offense. 

Natsu wondered what was being said, but he couldn’t hear a thing. He hoped it was something like, “The Rebels will arrive shortly but those brave Rubies will take them out quickly and we’ll have a party!” That would be nice, but he kind of doubted it. 

It was taking the Sapphire quite some time in there, during which Natsu cast a cursory glance around the Cloud Arena to scan for Rebels (none sadly). His eyes flickered over a blue Pearl and would’ve carried right on by without giving her a thought except that it reminded him that one of the Rebels was rumored to be a Pearl. Now _that_ was interesting. If Pearls could fight, who knew what else Natsu could do? 

Maybe the Sapphire could fight too! Natsu entertained himself for a few moments trying to imagine what she would be like in a fight. Fast, he surmised. Accurate, maybe? She didn’t look too strong, but maybe she could be nimble, even with all those skirts. 

He was starting to wish the Rebels would hurry up and arrive already when the Sapphire returned from the Palanquin. 

She glided back over to them. 

To Natsu’s surprise, she seemed to be speaking directly to him as she said, “This looks like a beautiful planet to build a colony. I wish I could’ve seen more of it.” 

“Um…we haven’t left yet. You still could?” 

The Sapphire sighed. “That would be nice,” she agreed. “But…it won’t happen.” 

Suddenly, a strong, commanding voice boomed out across the Cloud Arena. “Blue Diamond!” The voice shouted. “Leave now! This colony will not be completed!” 

“It’s the Rebels!” One of the Rubies shouted. 

“Who are you?! Show yourselves!” cried someone else. 

Three figures appeared. 

“We,” said the first one, a tall red gem Natsu dimly recognized as a kind of Quartz. 

“Are the Crystal Gems,” the other two joined in to finish the declaration. 

Natsu vaguely registered that one of the other two gems was in fact a yellow Pearl and the other something black and jagged, an Onyx maybe, and that the Palanquin carrying Blue Diamond and her Pearl was scurrying away on mechanical legs, but mostly he was focused on the battle that was about to ensue. 

Quick as lightning, the yellow Pearl and the Onyx took out four gems while Natsu fused with the other Rubies. This was easy for him and the fusion acted as one. The components were united in their goal. Defend the Sapphire and defeat the Rebels. 

They also shared the same instincts and knew that the red Quartz was the biggest threat. The fusion charged her, letting out a thunderous roar as he did so. 

The Quartz saw them coming, but she showed no fear. 

For good reason as it turns out. With two quick swipes of her sword (a huge, powerful weapon), she instantly defused the Ruby fusion. 

The yellow Pearl rushed in and brandished her whip. She lashed out at Natsu’s comrades, divesting them of their physical forms. Then she turned towards the Sapphire. 

The aristocratic gem spread her arms in defeat. 

“Thank you, Ruby,” she said sadly. “Don’t blame yourself. You tried your best.” 

It was then that Natsu was certain she could see the future. She had known all of this would happen and she had accepted it. 

But Natsu could not. 

He charged. He ran straight into the Sapphire who grasped his arms on reflex and pushed her out of the way of the Pearl’s attack. Then they were spinning, spinning, spinning. Nothing felt real except for her. 

And then…Natsu disappeared. 

* * *

 

A new gem rose up from where the Sapphire and the Ruby has last stood. They were something never seen before. Twice as tall as either of the gems that made them, the fusion was colored in beautiful shades of pastel pink and blue. They were dressed in a tunic (mottled pink and blue) that was part dress, part long coat, as well as a pair of leggings (blue). Their creamy pink hair was spiky and fell to about their chin. Most unnerving of all, the fusion had four eyes. Two in the usual place and two above those. The two on top were dark black and the two below were brilliant blue. 

The fusion looked down at themselves. They had a gem on either shoulder. 

“Wh-what?” They stammered. “What’s going on?” 

The gems of Blue Diamond’s court gasped in horror. 

“Disgusting!” Someone cried. 

“This is unheard of!” 

“What is this?” The fusion mumbled. Their feelings were tumultuous. 

They couldn’t think. They were too overwhelmed. 

The yellow Pearl approached them, prepared to finish them off, but the red Quartz placed a hand on her shoulder. 

“Wait,” she said. “Don’t.” 

The few gems not gawking at the fusion noticed the Rebels. 

“Let’s go,” said the red Quartz. 

“Uh bye!” said the Pearl. 

The Onyx said nothing as the Crystal Gems fled though he cast a curious look at the fusion. 

“Is this…?” They stammered. The fusion shimmered, wavered, and split apart. 

Natsu was back suddenly. His emotions were no less tumultuous on his own. He was confused, terrified, and awestruck. 

The Sapphire was beside him and he thought she felt the same way as the crowd closed in around them. 

“A common Ruby fusing with a Sapphire!” Someone shouted angrily. 

“Outrageous!” roared someone else. 

“Unbelievable!” 

Blue Diamond’s voice cut through the crowd. Her voice was calm steel edged with anger. “The Rebels have fled. Sapphire, this was not the scenario you described!” 

“This isn’t what I saw!” She said, confused and scared. 

Natsu hated to hear her sound like that. He wasn’t sure all of what was going on, but he knew it couldn’t be good for Sapphire. What happened hadn’t been her fault and he wasn’t going to let them act like it was. 

“Don’t blame her! It was me!” He shouted. 

Blue Diamond turned to him. “Clearly,” she said. Her voice was contemptuous. “How dare you fuse with a member of my court?!” 

“I-it was an accident!” Natsu said. “And she’s fine! It won’t happen aga-“ 

“You will be broken for this!” Blue Diamond roared. 

The crowd grew wilder, closing in on them, but the Sapphire grabbed his hand. “No!” She shouted. 

Natsu had been right. She was fast. With impossible speed, she pulled him out of the crowd and off the edge of the Cloud Arena. 

“Wait!” He shouted. “What are you doing?!” 

They disappeared into the clouds. 

* * *

 

Natsu was having trouble processing what has just happened. His entire world had been turned upside down in a matter of minutes. 

The pair had landed at the base of a mountain. The Sapphire had seemed to cushion their fall somehow so they hadn’t been hurt. It was raining heavily. 

“What’s going on? Why’d you do that?!” Natsu exclaimed. “You’re supposed to be up there!” 

“B-but they were going to break you!” She stammered. She sounded as overwhelmed as Natsu felt. “I couldn’t let them…it wasn’t your fault. It was just an accident.” 

Beneath his flurry of panic, Natsu was touched. Truthfully, he didn’t want to be broken, not one bit, but that part of him was buried beneath centuries of conditioning that the will of Homeworld trumped everything and so he said, “Who cares about that?! There are tons of other Rubies!” 

“But-“ 

Natsu groaned. “We don’t have time for this! What are we supposed to do now?!” 

She said nothing. She stood very very still. 

“Hey! Sapphire? I said, what are we supposed to do now?” He repeated. She was the aristocratic gem. She was supposed to take charge, but instead, she wasn’t doing anything. It was like she was….

Frozen. Ice started appearing around her feet. “I-I don’t know,” she whispered. 

“Agh! Okay! Let’s…get out of here!” Natsu did not know what to do anymore than she did, but he felt the pressing need to move, put some distance between them and what had happened. At the very least, getting out of the rain would be nice. 

He tugged her out of the ice that was forming around her feet with a crack as the ice gave way. Carrying her carefully with one arm supporting her back and the other curling beneath the skirt of her poofy dress, he cast a glance back up the mountain, wondering if he was making a terrible mistake. 

“Come on,” he said. Then he raced off. 

She said nothing which he took as assent. 

A few moments later, he carried her inside a cave and set her back down. He glanced around the area, checking for anything dangerous. His mission was still to protect her. He could do that.

“Okay,” he said finally. “This should be alright for now.” 

His charge took a seat, legs folding beneath her dress which formed a cushion around her. She let out a deep breath and brushed her hair out of her face, revealing her eyes for the first time. They were a deep, brilliant blue. “Thank you,” she said earnestly. 

Oh. _Oh._ She was really, really pretty. He didn’t know what to say to that. He was just doing his job. Wait, was that smoke? 

He looked down and noticed flames curling around his feet. “What? Oh, wait! This is good…” 

A few moments later, they had a blazing fire and the Sapphire was warming herself in front of it, but Natsu was full of nervous energy so he kept pacing. 

“This isn’t what was supposed to happen,” he growled. “You’re stranded here and it’s my fault! What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to save you?” 

“You already saved me,” she said with another wan smile. “This isn’t your fault, but you’re right. This isn’t what was supposed to happen. I don’t know how it did, but thank you for saving me.” 

“Oh.” He said uncertainly. Were all high class gems this nice? They hadn’t been in his experience. “Just doing my job…” 

He took a seat beside her and his thoughts returned, involuntarily, to the fusion they had performed. It had been so strange…

He glanced at each of their gems. A Ruby and a Sapphire. A fusion between the two of them…it shouldn’t be possible. 

She must’ve been thinking along the same lines because she spoke. “I’ve seen gems fuse before, but I’ve never…I didn’t know it would feel like that. I didn’t know you’d…disappear like that.” 

“It’s never been like that for me!” Natsu said. “I’ve always just felt like me, but bigger. I’ve never had four eyes before.” 

She giggled. “Yeah…I haven’t either. It was kind of…cool.” 

“Y-yeah? I guess it was.” It hadn’t lasted for very long and most of it had been spent in panic and confusion, but looking back on it…

Yeah. It had been cool. 

* * *

 

It was a while before they left the cave, but when they did it had stopped raining. The sun was shining in the sky and everything seemed a little bit better. Natsu felt less like a failure of a Ruby at least. 

“It looks like you’ll get to see more of this planet after all,” Natsu said and she smiled, a true proper smile, not a wan one. 

“You’re right!” she said. “Let’s go look around!” 

He couldn’t say no to that. He’d always loved a chance to explore. “Okay!” He agreed. He’d completely forgotten about the Rebels who were most likely lurking around somewhere. 

They trooped through the wild lands of Earth, marveling at the sights. 

The Sapphire seemed particularly in awe of the place and Natsu was rather in awe of her. 

She darted underneath a low hanging branch and held out her hand. To her delight, a passing creature that was mostly yellow wings landed on it. 

“There are so many unique creatures on this planet,” she murmured as it flittered off again. 

As if to prove her point, a squishy green creature appeared and pulled the yellow-winged creature into its mouth using its long pink tongue. 

Natsu picked it up impulsively and offered it to her. 

“Wow!” She beamed. “What is that?” 

“I have no idea,” Natsu admitted. “It’s cool though!” 

The Sapphire patted the creature on its damp head and Natsu set it back down. She watched with interest as it bounced away. 

“Let’s go see what other creatures this planet has!” 

* * *

 

It was a lovely night some time later. Too beautiful a night to stay in the cave. The stars were shining and the moon was nearly full.Sapphire had found a good place for watching stars so they were stretched out on a hill side, picking out galaxies and systems and watching the glowing moon. 

“Hey, um….about us fusing.” 

She didn’t seem surprised by this topic of conversation though it could be hard to tell with her sometimes. Less and less though lately. “Yeah?” 

“I don’t know,” he said. “I just can’t stop thinking about it.” 

She nodded slowly. “You said I was different?” 

“Yeah and you said you hadn’t before?” 

“No, of course not. There’s never been any need.” 

“R-right. It’s just for battle…” 

“Y-yeah…” But she sounded uncertain. 

“I’m sorry for fusing with you,” Natsu blurted out. 

“No! Don’t be!” 

“But now you’re here forever!” 

“What about you?” 

“What about me?” He said, confused. 

“Well you’re here too.” She sat up and leaned closer to him. “We’re here together.” She laid a hand over his which he was using to prop himself up. 

Heat rose to his face. “Yeah. I guess we are. It could be worse,” he smiled. 

She laughed lightly. “Definitely.” 

* * *

 

“So I’ve been thinking,” Natsu said one day. 

“What about?” His Sapphire asked. He did not know when she had ceased to be _a_ Sapphire or _the_ Sapphire, but she was now a completely unique Sapphire and so he thought of her differently. 

It was about something related to this that he wished to speak. 

“We’re Rebels now, aren’t we?” Then before she could reply, he barreled on. “I mean, we’re not really on Homeworld’s side anymore. If they saw us, they’d probably break us, right?” 

His Sapphire nodded. He could tell she’d had this thought several times before. 

“So could we have names like the Rebels do?” It was a poorly kept secret that the Rebels had all taken individual names as a sign of their rebellion. They were casting off the labels that Homeworld had given them, or at least attempting to, and Natsu was surprised to find himself in agreement with them. He was not just a Ruby, a common soldier. He was one of a kind. 

Not very long ago, he would never had talked about such things aloud, but his Sapphire was so easy to talk to. Something told him she would understand what he meant. 

It seemed he was right because she smiled and he felt that happy little swooping sensation that accompanied her smiles. 

“I love that idea,” she said. “Every time I say Ruby, I expect a chorus of replies even though I know you’re the only one here.” 

He chuckled. 

“Do you have a name in mind?” She asked astutely. 

“Oh! Right,” he said, having temporarily forgotten in his pleasure at her approval. “Could you call me Natsu?” 

“Natsu,” she repeated, testing out the word. “I like it,” she said sincerely. “Does it mean anything?” 

“Y-yeah,” he said. “Summer.” 

“Oh that’s nice,” she said. A moment’s pause before she spoke. “Lisanna.” 

He blinked, momentarily confused before he remembered what they’d been talking about. “Your name is Lisanna?” 

She nodded firmly. 

“Lisanna,” he repeated. A pretty name with no rank or designation attached. Still, it would take some getting used to. 

“Does it mean anything?” He asked. 

She smiled like she’d been hoping he’d ask. “In a way,” she said which didn’t exactly answer his question. Thankfully she elaborated. “Do you mind if I tell you a story?” 

“Oh! Uh no. Go right ahead.” 

“A long, long time ago, I was made and sent to live on Homeworld, but I wasn’t alone. Sapphires are rare, but I knew of another one, who was a few centuries older than me. Whenever we weren’t attending to our duties, we spent time together. We became very close, along with her guard. We were kind of rebellious back then or rather…she was and the two of us went along with it. It was exciting! One day, it was decided we should have names. She chose Mirajane and her guard chose Elfman, but I couldn’t decide on one so they picked Lisanna for me. I don’t know how they came up with these names, but I loved them. They were a secret between the three of us. Then one day, they went on a mission to some far off planet and…they never came back. I don’t know what happened to them. No one would tell me. So that’s why my name is Lisanna.” 

“Oh,” Natsu said, feeling rather foolish and uncertain. “It’s a very nice name.” 

She nodded like he’d said just the right thing. “I think so too…Natsu.” 

* * *

 

“Hey Natsu?” Lisanna said one evening. 

“Yeah?” 

“We’ve already decided we’re Rebels now, right? So do you wanna…break some rules?” 

He didn’t know what she meant, but it sounded like fun. “What do you mean?” 

She brushed her hair out of her eyes to reveal them twinkling as she leaned in close to him. “Let’s fuse,” she said. 

For some reason, he had not expected that. “Wh-what?! Are you sure?” 

“Only if you want to,” she said, now showing a hint of nervousness. 

“Oh I do!” He said quickly. He very much did. “You just surprised me. But how do we uh…it was an accident last time.” 

“I don’t know,” Lisanna admitted. “But do you want to try?” 

He nodded resolutely and they stood opposite each other, in the shade of the forest. The atmosphere was bordering on magical as they tried to take positions. What were they supposed to do with their hands? They ended up with Natsu’s hands on her waist and hers on his shoulders. 

They stepped about uncertainly for a few moments but then Lisanna started humming. The melody was unfamiliar to Natsu but it was warm and sweet and maybe a little sad and then instinct seemed to take over and things got easier. 

They spun and spun until the world faded around them and Lisanna smiled at him and he grinned back and lifted her up into the air and then for the second time, Natsu was gone. 

* * *

 

The fusion looked down at themselves with great interest. “We did it! I…did it?” They said uncertainly. They stretched their arms out in front of them marveling at their length and strength. They blinked each of their four eyes individually. They looked around with their new eyes and wobbled unsteadily on new legs. 

“I’m so tall,” they said. “And now I need a name, but first, exploring!” 

The fusion wandered off into the forest, trying to get the hang of their strange new form. 

“I got it! I got it!” They laughed joyfully and then…”Whoa!” They stumbled and fell down a short drop, rolling to a stop at the base of a hill. 

Their glee instantly dried up as a sword was leveled at them out of nowhere. They recoiled in a panic. 

“Don’t hurt her!” They shouted. “I mean don’t hurt..me?” 

“You’re the fusion,” said the red Quartz who was wielding the sword with interest. 

“It was accident! Well it wasn’t this time…should we unfuse?” 

“Erza?” A vaguely familiar voice sounded through the bushes. The yellow Pearl appeared. “What’s going…” she trailed off as she caught sight of them. “It’s the fusion!” She said in fascination. 

The red Quartz called Erza nodded. “She…he…they? Want to know if they should unfuse.” The sword was still leveled at them. 

“Do you want to unfuse?” The yellow Pearl asked kindly. 

Slowly, they shook their head. 

“Then don’t,” she said simply. “This is Earth. We don’t follow Homeworld’s rules anymore. You can sheathe your sword, Erza. I don’t think they mean any harm.” 

Erza nodded slowly and withdrew her weapon. 

The fusion sighed in relief. “You guys are Rebels, right? I want in.” 

The Quartz considered this. “How do we know we can trust you?” 

“Oh come on, Erza. There’s no way Homeworld would allow them to fuse like this. I have a good feeling about them,” said the Pearl. “My name’s Lucy. Do you have a name?” 

“No,” said the fusion. “Not yet. Natsu and Lisanna do though!” 

“The Ruby and the Sapphire that you’re made of?” Erza asked. 

“Right!” They said cheerfully, in a much better mood now that they were no longer being threatened with a sword. 

“Awesome,” said Lucy. “We can help you come up with a name. Right, Erza?” 

The Quartz nodded, apparently deeming them trustworthy. “Come along. We have a camp some ways away.” 

“How many Rebels are there?” 

“Not counting you, five,” Erza said stolidly. 

“How were you able to fuse anyway?” Lucy asked. “That’s really interesting to me.” 

“Interesting? You mean, you don’t think I’m…” _Disgusting. Outrageous. Unbelievable._

She seemed to know what they meant as she shook her head. “I think it’s incredible you were able to fuse. Think of the possibilities! And one thing you’ll learn here with us is that what Homeworld thinks of you doesn’t matter.” 

The fusion grinned.

* * *

 

With the addition of Natsu and Lisanna, the group of Rebels grew to seven, or six depending on the day. In addition to Erza and Lucy, they met the Onyx whose name was Gray (a fact Natsu found amusing as he was dark black), as well as a Sapphire by the name of Mirajane and a Corundum named Elfman. 


End file.
